Basic Player Info

Position(s) : RW/C

Height & Weight : 6’0″ / 190lbs

Date Of Birth: August 06, 2003

Stats

Introduction

The Chevaliers de Lévis were a true powerhouse in the QMAAA during the 18-19 season. Finishing with a 43-1 regular season record, the team would falter near the final hurdle, ending their season with a semi-final loss. A tough pill to swallow for their main star Joshua Roy, who put up even greater numbers than what preceding QMJHL first overall pick Alexis Lafrenière did at the same age. His dominant 88 point season (in 42 games) was enough to convince the Sea Dogs to pick the Saint-George, QC native.

Roy entered the league with big expectations from the Sea Dogs organisation and did well production wise with 44 points in 60 games, finishing off at a strong pace with 35 points in his last 36 games. He showed good puck skills and was a weapon for the Sea Dogs on the power play.

Starting the 2020/21 season with the Sea Dogs, he was still fighting for a spot for the top center-ice with Reynolds, Burns and Lawrence. This made him spend a pretty good part of his games on the right wing instead. After collecting 9 goals and 8 assists for a total 17 points in 15 games with the Sea Dogs, he was then dealt at the deadline to Sherbrooke. Roy continued to play on the wing but this time on a weaker team. He saw a decrease in his production, with 13 goals and 5 assists for 18 points in 20 games to close off the regular season. Despite finishing second last in the standings, Sherbrooke ended up playing in the playoffs like every other team. Roy put up a goal and 3 helpers for 4 points in 3 games against Chicoutimi, all of which were losses for the Phoenix.

Overall this is a good production by Roy who finished at exactly a point per game in his draft year. Before we jump into the tapes, I like to show the underlying stats to get a better idea of the player.

Roy has amassed on average .8 primary points per game (includes goals and primary assists). Among those, only .49 (around 61% of them) were at even strength (blue). The rest was on the power play (orange). So Roy depends a lot more on the PP situation for his production than the other top QMJHL eligible forwards. *Data is from the QMJHL Regular Season only. (Data from Pick224.com)

Style of Play

Roy is an offensively minded forward who has good offensive instincts. He likes to slow down the play because he thrives during set plays with open space. This is mainly because he’s less confortable at making decisions at high-speed during the rush. He loves to take the shot and will utilise his teammates to set himself up. He turned more into a goalscorer than a playmaker and it really showed in his production this season. His best hockey is played in an established position in the offensive zone, especially on the power play where he can use extra space.

What can Roy bring on the ice and what does he need to work on ?

That’s something I asked him about in a zoom call back in December when he was still with Saint-John during the covid-related break.

” I’m mainly an offense guy with good hands and a good shot. I can read the play really well which helps me stand out from the others. This year I’m trying to get more implicated physically and I think it’s already got a little bit better, also my defensive play, that’s something I’ve been trying to work on for a couple years now.”

So let’s try deep dive into his mechanics to get a better idea of the player he is.

Skating

At the start of season, what I noticed with Roy was his deficient skating technique overall. For his back leg extension there is some irregular pushes, a really low knee which leads to small and non-linear strides. He doesn’t extend the leg far enough to propel himself at high speed.

As said previously, Roy tends to take small steps without much power which doesn’t allow him to outburst opponents. His skating technique needs some rework as it’s not explosive enough to catch defenders off guard.

When taking a shot on the rush his posture is too upright and awkward and doesn’t get the all the power in it. On the outside lanes he easily gets caught as he lacks that ability to push off his opponents using his shoulders and back. His below average skating is something teams will consider which will affect his stock come draft day. Now playing as a winger, being able to reach a high-top speed is crucial, something he cannot do right now. The team which selects him will need him work on his skating habits for a proper technique.

Shot

One of Roy’s best skill is his quick and strong release on his snapshots. They are his go to shot to surprise goaltenders using the screen.

As said previously, Roy is able to move around the puck on set plays allowing himself for great scoring chances. He uses his deadly snapshot to score a beauty in the far side corner.

As for his wrist shots, I found he sometimes he doesn’t transfer enough weight into his front foot which is often not placed accordingly. On multiple instances he didn’t use space properly on the rush and prioritized low drive snap shots instead of a more precise wrister. But overall, his shot is one of his main strengths and it is good enough to develop into the higher level and it showed as he put up a total of 22 goals in 35 regular season games.

Puck Handling and Hand-Eye

Roy has a natural ability to handle pucks quickly when given space. He’s good at timing his touches and shows adequate anticipation relative to a defender’s movement. He uses good hand-eye coordination to intercept bouncing or mid-air pucks while skating at speed and in congestion. Because of his speed, he will often lack that that ability to take ground over defenders, which is a shame after seing him being able to walk past them. He will try his best to wait out a defender, protecting the puck but it often kills the momentum and reduces the game speed around him. Without the puck, he’s able to use the stick with one hand to launch pucks using the boards.

Playmaking and Hockey Sense

Roy has a good understanding of the game which is something he uses to his advantage. He’s got a good eye for open teammates and can send good yet quick passes aswell as displaying a good sense for breakout passes. Roy’s main strength is his puck movement ability when established in the offensive zone, partly explaining why he’s been so efficient on the power play. He is able to read the game and use the space very well.

When given suffisent space on the set play, Roy is able to connect great creative passes to his teammates. This is a perfect saucer pass over the crease making it an easy goal for Charles Tremblay.

On the rush, he isn’t as dominant, as he lacks pace and often either force the play into the middle or spin/slow down the play and wait for reinforcements. This gives the opponents enough time to get back and kill the rush.

You will see a lot of this when Roy is driving down the wing on the rush. Just not enough speed to create distance with the defenseman and he predictably decides to spin around and wait the play out.

Roy’s hockey sense comes a long way and remains a strong part of his game. As for his playmaking ability, it is currently an issue that he relies a lot on set plays to show his talent and much less on the rush where he struggles.

Motor

I feel like it’s too often that I see him not driving the net when he should be doing so. As for his implication on the backcheck, it’s something that he needs to put more effort into, as he can be the last man back quite often. I also found he waits for pucks to come to him, and that hurts him afterwards because he doesn’t have that quick acceleration to allow him keep the play alive and he ends up going for safe simple plays, thus giving up possession. Overall, I would like to see him more hungry for pucks and apply more pressure on throughout all three zones.

Defensive Game

As for his defensive game, that is something that got better over the year. I especially noticed his implication took a turn when joined the Phoenix. He started getting into lanes protecting the net a bit more, attacking passing and shooting lanes with the stick and body. He is not much of a defensive minded player but I do see some progress being made.

Physicality

Despite Roy’s six-foot / 190 pound frame, he’s doesn’t show much grunt physically and can easily get pushed around by opponents. While Roy isn’t the most physical player, I did notice small improvement since the beginning of the season. As he said himself, he needed to build more mass and strength and become more physical. He’s not quite there yet, but he does sometimes go finish his checks, but really without much power as of now.

Conclusion

Overall, I think Roy is a good hockey player but he lacks from an athletic standpoint. He has good mental instincts and sees the ice very well, but his skating needs to be addressed. He often lacks competitiveness and he relies a bit too much on set plays and the power play for his production. After seing him being pushed on the wing for both Saint-John and Sherbrooke, I don’t think that Roy will go back to the center position at the higher levels. I can see him continue developing on the right wing which is less responsibility for him and allows him to use his strong left shot. I project Roy to go around the third or fourth round of the 2021 NHL entry draft because despite being able to get on the scoresheet (which is a good thing), I think there is some concerns about his game which will need to be corrected with a high amount of work. He will not be a prospect that is easy to develop, so teams will be more careful with him come draft day. But with the right development he could see some pro games. That’s why I think his future highly depends on the franchise who drafts him and it’s player development program. He is oozing with talent but has some work to do to get there.

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By Louis Troxler

https://twitter.com/LTrHockey